The Terps were 1-11 in Big Ten play prior to Thursday evening.
Leading 23-14 in the opening set, Maryland volleyball found itself in a familiar situation: ahead late in a set. The Terps, who have had issues closing out sets throughout the season, needed just two more points.
But this time, Maryland had no problems wrapping it up. Despite three consecutive points from Michigan State, pin hitter Katherine Scherer gave the Terps set point with her third kill of the match, which was followed by a Spartans attacking error.
In the midst of an eight-game losing streak, Maryland looked for its first victory since Oct. 5. In a battle of two teams with a 1-11 conference record, the Terps came out on top, winning in four sets on Thursday night in College Park.
“I think the biggest learning curve is the losses,” pin hitter Samantha Schnitta said. “For the freshmen to learn how that happened and why it happened. … Then you’re able to come out and get these wins.”
The Terps sprinted out to an early 6-2 lead off the play of Schnitta in the first set. She tallied a kill, block and back-to-back service aces.
With the score at 13-8, Maryland scored three straight points. Middle blocker Eva Rohrbach and setter Sydney Dowler teamed up for a block, before Rohrbach tallied a kill. Just two points later, the Terps rattled off three consecutive scores. Scherer added her second kill, while Rohrbach added another kill and block.
Kills from outside hitter Sam Csire, Dowler and Schnitta pushed Maryland ahead, 22-13. Michigan State’s middle blocker Zuzanna Kulig gave her team some late life with two kills and a service ace, but it wasn’t enough as the Terps pulled off a 25-17 set victory.
The first two sets were a tale of polar opposites. In the second set, the Spartans rushed out to a quick lead, 9-2. Three kills from different players were followed up by back-to-back blocks from outside hitter Akasha Anderson and middle blocker Nil Okur.
Rohrbach looked to spark some life into Maryland with two blocks and a kill, but Michigan State had other ideas, as Kulig pushed her squad in front, 13-6.
Trailing 18-11, Maryland notched six straight scores, dwindling the Michigan State lead down to one. Csire knotted consecutive kills and also teamed up with Rohrbach for a block. Then, the Spartans scored seven of the last nine points, ending the set, 25-19.
After losing the opening point of the third set, Maryland ripped off six straight points. Scherer tallied a block and kill, while libero Lilly Gunter hit consecutive service aces. The Terps extended their lead to seven after a service ace from Schnitta.
But then Michigan State landed a big blow, storming back with six points of its own, including back-to-back kills from outside hitter Taylor Preston. Maryland found itself down, 14-12, minutes later. Kills from Dowler and Schnitta sparked a run for the Terps, moving the score to 18-14.
Russ and Schnitta extended Maryland’s lead to six with a kill apiece. Two errors from the Spartans gave Maryland set point before Scherer added a kill to close out a 25-18 set win.
Unlike the previous sets, the fourth set was knotted at four apiece. Schnitta pushed the Terps ahead with consecutive kills, but that lead was short-lived, as Michigan State tied the set up at six.
Later on, Kulig gave Michigan State the lead, but the Terps then rattled off four straight points. Russ and Dowler teamed up for two blocks, while Rohrbach added a service ace.
With the set knotted at 21 apiece, Maryland scored four of the last five points. Russ and Scherer each tallied a kill, before teaming up for a block — three points that proved pivotal in the eventual 25-22 set victory.
Three things to know
1. Maryland’s offense clicked. The Terps sat in 16th place in the conference with 12.1 kills per set before Thursday’s match. But Maryland got the offense going early and finished with 51 kills. Six players tallied at least five kills and Schnitta led the charge with 14.
2. Losing streak ends at eight. Maryland had won just one set in its last eight matches. After a month-long drought since their last victory, the Terps picked up their second Big Ten win of the season.
3. Hustle plays on display. Gunter led the charge defensively with 16 digs, tying a match-high, and it seemed like Maryland tracked down almost every ball. The Terps also added 16 blocks, 10 of which came from Rohrbach.
“When you can defend it quick and transition out of it, it also gives the team a lot of confidence that they are playing good defense,” Hughes said. “I thought [Gunter] looked really calm, collected and was doing a good job communicating.”